Phillies pursuing three major deals with two days to MLB Trade Deadline

The trade deadline arrives at 4:00 PM on Sunday, and the Phillies appear likely to swing a major deal sometime in the interim.

In keeping with his trend of making big splashes at the deadline, Ruben Amaro Jr. seems to be unphased by the Giants’ acquisition of Carlos Beltran, as he is rumored to be discussing three separate impact deals of his own.

Hunter Pence is still the most popular target among Phillies fans, and with good reason. The 28-year old right-hander is not a superstar in any one area (with the possible exception of outfield assists), but he is good in most. And considering that he could man a starting position in the Phillies outfield for at least two more seasons, he seems to be a player that is worth at least a couple of good prospects.

On Tuesday, ESPN’s Jayson Stark reported that the Astros turned down the Phillies offer of Jared Cosart, Jonathan Singleton and a lesser prospect for Pence. Stark has since reported that interest in Pence is intensifying since Beltran was traded. The Phillies are still heavily involved in talks with Houston, and surely the Astros are giddy about having the hottest remaining commodity on the trade market.

But, what if the prospect-rich Braves or some other contender give the Astros an offer they can’t refuse for Pence? Well, it appears that the Phillies have another iron in the fire for a right-handed outfield bat. ESPN’s Buster Olney is reporting that the Phillies have been scouting White Sox right fielder Carlos Quentin. The White Sox right fielder is a different type of talent than Pence. His fielding is considerably less impressive and he is only a .262 hitter, but his 20 homers would fit nicely into the five spot of the Phillies’ lineup. Quentin is arbitration- eligible for 2012 after earning $5.05 million this season, so he also has the appeal of being more than a three-month rental.

Quentin could be a realistic option for a couple of reasons. First, he may not command as high a price as Pence. His defensive limitations and injury history seem to have him lower on most team’s wish lists than the more consistent Pence. Second, the White Sox have a terrific replacement for Quentin in 22 year-old Dayan Viciedo, who is tearing up AAA pitching this season.

Both Pence and Quentin would satisfy the vast majority of Phillies fans who are seeing the same offensive limitations that bounced the Phillies from the 2010 playoffs. But Ruben Amaro Jr. may also be considering the strategy of loading up the team’s bullpen and hoping that the team’s wealth of pitching talent will lead it through a low-scoring title run.

That strategy may be at the heart of Amaro’s rumored pursuit of a trade with the San Diego Padres. Once again, Stark (who has terrific credibility and strong Phillies sources) has the word on a potential Phillies deal. On Thursday, he wrote thatthe Phillies were pursuing a deal for dominating set-up man Mike Adams and right fielder Ryan Ludwick. Adams is arbitration-eligible next season and would give the Phillies an option at closer if Ryan Madson were to leave via free agency. Ludwick is only hitting .238 this season, but he does have 62 RBI and 11 home runs for a terrible offensive team in a cavernous home ballpark.

The Phillies would probably be unwilling to offer a package of top prospects for Mike Adams, but they may be more amenable to dealing some quality young players if the Padres included Ludwick in the deal. Such a move is clearly being considered by Amaro Jr. because it strengthens the team’s bullpen while also adding a right-handed bat that has driven in a lot of runs over the last few seasons.

If one listens to the collection of insiders, experts and analysts, it appears that the Phillies are a good bet to complete a significant deal in the next two days. They also seem to be hedging their bets with multiple options in case the bidding gets out of control for any of their reported targets.

Each deal offers its own set of pros and cons, from both cost and benefit standpoints. But, with each of the major World Series contenders setting up for this year’s postseason, the Phillies may have to fine tune their $172 million machine before revving up for October.

Matt Babiarz was born and raised in the Philadelphia area. He graduated from the University of Alabama, but remained a very close observer of the Philadelphia sports scene. He recently began covering the Phillies for Philly2Philly.com. You can also read his work atBleacherreport.comwithin the Philadelphia Phillies section.

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